Four people are feared dead following a military helicopter crash on a coastal nature reserve in Norfolk.
The aircraft, a Pave Hawk took off from the U.S. airforce base at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, for a routine low-level flying exercise.
Residents told of hearing a 'heavy and very unusual' sound overhead as the helicopter - which specialises in recovering troops from war zones - plummeted into flooded marshland.
The aircraft, a modified version of the U.S. Army's Black Hawk, is believed to have crashed just after 8pm close to the shoreline near the village Cley-next-the-Sea.
Police confirmed the chopper was carrying live ammunition at the time of the crash, and officers were carrying out investigations as to the nature of the weaponry, which may pose a risk to the public.
Norfolk crash scene: It is believed a helicopter crashed near Cley-next-the-sea on the north Norfolk coast
The aircraft is believed to have been a Pave Hawk combat search and rescue military helicopter
Superintendent Roger Wiltshire, of Norfolk Police, said: 'The helicopter had a crew of four and sadly at this time we believe that all four crew members have died.
'We will shortly be making an assessment of the scene to make sure it is safe. We believe there is some ammunition on board the helicopter.'
A 400m cordon is expected to stay in place around the scene for up to 24 hours.
Supt Wiltshire added that investigators will 'do what they can tonight' but some tasks may need to wait until the morning.
The US Air Force will be involved in the investigation, Supt Wiltshire confirmed. He added that the aircraft came down on the marsh.
Emergency services are on the scene of a reported helicopter crash in Norfolk tonight
Emergency services have cordoned off a 400metre area around the crash site on the north Norfolk coast
Four people are believed to have died following a single helicopter crash in Cley-next-the-Sea, north Norfolk
Last night a spokesman from RAF Lakenheath confirmed that four people were travelling on board the aircraft - a HH60 G Pave Hawk helicopter.
He said: 'A US Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crashed at about 6pm today near Salthouse on the Norfolk coast.
'The aircraft, assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, was on a low-level training mission when the crash occurred.
'The conditions of the four crew members remain unknown at this time. As soon as additional details become available they will be provided.'
Four people were travelling on board the aircraft - a HH60 G Pave Hawk helicopter
Cley artist Rachel Lockwood told the Eastern Daily Press: 'We had never seen so many police cars and fire engines so went to have a look. The beach road to Cley is sealed off.
'There are lots of fire engines near the Dun Cow pub at Salthouse. A helicopter is hovering over the marsh with a light beaming down.
'Someone said it was a helicopter down and a coastguard told us to clear the area, saying something about ammunition.'
NATURE RESERVE STAFF HELP OUT EMERGENCY SERVICES
Staff at the nature reserve close to where the Pave Hawk crashed gave emergency services advice when they first arrived on the scene.
The head of the wildlife trust which runs Cley Marshes reserve said he initially feared two people on the ground could have been killed.
Brendan Joyce, chief executive of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, told the Norwich Evening News: 'I was concerned when I heard four people had lost their lives. The initial reports were it was an Apache helicopter, and they only fly two, so I wondered who else was involved.'
He added: 'My understanding is that it came down on the shingle bank, so not on the actual reserve. We don’t know what the cause was at all.
'It would have been dark. There would not have been any staff or volunteers on the site at the time.
'I do know that our staff locally initially assisted in terms of advice to the emergency services.
'Obviously the emergency services and military have taken over pretty quickly and have sealed the area off. We are not involved.
'We are deeply shocked by it and our first thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives.'
Peter and Sue McKnestiey, who run Cookies crab shop in Salthouse, have been making cups of tea for the search teams.
Mrs McKnestiey said: 'We were watching TV at about 7pm. We heard the helicopter come over very fast and very low.
'I don't know about engines but I am used to the sound of helicopters and this sounded very heavy and very unusual.
'My gut instinct was there was something wrong. We've now heard four people have died and it's just awful.
'I keep hoping the helicopter I heard isn't the one that crashed.
'I think the whole village will be devastated when it realises what's happened.'
There was speculation last night that a bird strike could have been responsible for bringing the aircraft down.
Helen Terry, 43, from Salthouse, near Cley, said: 'We heard the helicopter fly over.
'We assumed it was just heading out to sea for training exercises. It's a daily occurrence and we're quite used to it.
'We live less than half a mile from where it's happened and we didn't hear any bang. The first we heard was when we saw emergency crews rushing to the area.
'It's something locals are used to and we've never had any safety concerns.'
Paul Beaver, a pilot, told Sky news: 'It's a wonderful place for waterfowl it could have been a bird strike, night time birds do fly there.'
Cley is a picturesque village, one mile east of Blakeney and four miles north of Holt, on the main coast road between Wells and Sheringham.
Well known for its windmill and church, the village has a nature reserve famous as a birdwatching site. The area is popular with walkers and tourists, who enjoy the views and wildlife.
Cley is a picturesque village, one mile east of Blakeney and four miles north of Holt, on the main coast road between Wells and Sheringham
Emergency services at Salthouse, near to Cley-next-the-Sea, on the north Norfolk coast
RAF Lakenheath sent out this tweet confirming the crash
(File picture) A guard at the main gate at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, where the 48th Fighter Wing is based
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE PAVE HAWK CHOPPER
Primary Function: Personnel recovery in hostile conditions and military operations other than war in day, night or marginal weather
Contractor: United Technologies/Sikorsky Aircraft Company
Power Plant: Two General Electric T700-GE-700 or T700-GE-701C engines
Thrust: 1,560-1,940 shaft horsepower, each engine
Rotor Diameter: 53 feet, 7 inches (14.1 meters)
Length: 64 feet, 8 inches (17.1 meters)
Height: 16 feet, 8 inches (4.4 meters)
Weight: 22,000 pounds (9,900 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 22,000 pounds (9,900 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 4,500 pounds (2,041 kilograms)
Payload: depends upon mission
Speed: 184 mph (159 knots)
Range: 504 nautical miles
Ceiling: 14,000 feet (4,267 meters)
Armament: Two 7.62mm or .50 caliber machineguns
Crew: Two pilots, one flight engineer and one gunner
Unit Cost: $40.1 million (FY11 Dollars)
Initial operating capability: 1982
Inventory: Active force, 67; ANG, 17; Reserve, 15
Cley artist Rachel Lockwood said: 'We had never seen so many police cars and fire engines so went to have a look'
RAF Lakenheath's Twitter feed thanked the emergency responders on the scene last night
Cley Marshes is Norfolk Wildlife Trust's oldest and best known nature reserve. It was purchased in 1926 making it the first Wildlife Trust reserve in the country.
The Cley Marshes website says its shingle beach and saline lagoons, along with the grazing marsh and reedbed support large numbers of wintering and migrating wildfowl and waders, as well as bittern, marsh harrier and bearded tit.
THE MODIFIED 'BLACK HAWK' CHOPPER THAT COSTS $40M
The HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter is an updated model of the U.S. Black Hawk helicopter and is primarily used to conduct personnel recovery operations in hostile environments.
It is also used in civil search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response and humanitarian assistance.
The Pave Hawk is 64ft long and can travel at speeds of up to 184mph (159 knots).
The crew usually consists of two pilots, one flight engineer and one gunner. The unit cost of the Pave Hawk is $40.1 million.
Pave Hawk helicopters are designed for night-time low-level operations and have an automatic flight control system, night vision goggles, lighting and an infrared system.
The Pave Hawk was used after Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 and in the aftermath of earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Today, Pave Hawks continue to support operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
Prince Harry qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander at Wattisham Airfield, also based in Suffolk. He carried out months of training at the base ahead of his assessment in July last year.
However, access has been limited recently due to coastal flooding, although the reserve's visitor centre has remained open.
However, access has been limited recently due to coastal flooding, although the reserve's visitor centre has remained open.
Richard Kelham, chairman of Cley Parish Council, said: 'It looks as though the military helicopter has come down in the middle of the bird reserve. The incident is very sad and there is a 400m cordon surrounding the area.'
Lieutenant Keenan Kunst, who is based at Lakenheath, confirmed that the helicopter that crashed was based there.
An RAF Lakenheath tweet sent later read: 'We can confirm that one of our HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters was involved in an incident during a training mission outside Cley-Next-The-Sea.'
The RNLI said three of its boats were called out at about 7.45pm but were called back because the incident had happened on land.
A spokesman for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution said: 'We were asked for three lifeboats to respond to reports that an aircraft had possibly ditched in the sea.
'Lifeboats Wells, Sheringham and Cromer were launched at the request of the coastguard but were stood down when it was confirmed that the aircraft had come down over land.'
North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb said the crash was 'utterly tragic', adding: 'My heart goes out to the families of the crew, and it is all the more difficult because I suspect the families are from a long way away and the news is just filtering through.
'It is highly traumatic too for the local communities but it was quite close to the villages and could have been even more horrific if it came down on buildings.'
Norfolk Wildlife Trust said on their website they were 'shocked' to hear of the crash.
A statement said the crash happened 'on the shingle bank at NWT Cley Marshes nature reserve, and our immediate thoughts are for the families of those who sadly lost their lives.
'It is likely the reserve will be closed for at least tomorrow, Wednesday 8th January, while the incident is investigated.'
Picturesque: A view of the salt marshes from the coastal footpath between Cley-next-the-Sea and Blakeney, Norfolk
There have been several high-profile helicopter crashes in the UK over the last year, causing concern over safety.
The Pave Hawk accident comes less than two months after a police helicopter crashed into a pub in Glasgow.
Ten people, including three on board the Eurocopter EC135 helicopter, were killed when the aircraft fell from the sky "like a stone" onto the Clutha Vaults pub on November 29.
More than 100 people had been inside the establishment on the banks of the Clyde in Glasgow city centre at the time.
Lib Dem Norman Lamb, MP for Norfolk North, said: 'My heart goes out to the families of the crew'
Last month, manufacturer Eurocopter issued a worldwide safety alert after a fault was found with the fuel indication system on some EC135 models.
An investigation to establish the circumstances leading up to the accident is under way by Police Scotland and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has also started investigating the wreckage.
Scotland had already suffered a helicopter disaster in August when an aircraft carrying oil rig workers ditched, killing four people in the North Sea off Shetland.
Two crew members and 16 passengers were on board the Super Puma L2 as it flew between an oil platform and Sumburgh Airport on Shetland.
The AAIB's investigation has so far found no evidence of any technical failure in the helicopter.
It was the second major helicopter crash to take place in the North Sea in recent years after a Super Puma EC225 helicopter plunged into the water off the Aberdeenshire coast claiming 16 lives in April 2009.
A fatal accident inquiry began on Monday in Aberdeen to discover why the aircraft fell 'like a torpedo' into the sea.
The Aberdeenshire crash was itself preceded and followed by non-fatal accidents involving the EC225 model.
Last January, a helicopter crashed into a crane during rush hour in Vauxhall, south London.
Veteran pilot Pete Barnes died after his aircraft plunged to the ground 700ft below, killing Matthew Wood, 39, from Sutton, south London, as he walked to work.
Five people were taken to hospital and seven more were treated at the scene.
AN AMERICAN AIR FORCE BASE IN BRITAIN: RAF LAKENHEATH
RAF Lakenheath
Royal Air Force Station Lakenheath, or RAF Lakenheath, is located near the town of Lakenheath in Suffolk, 4.7 miles north-east of Mildenhall.
It was first used for military purposes in the First World War but appears not to have been used much and was closed in 1918 when peace came.
In 1940 the site was selected by the Air Ministry as a decoy airfield for use in the Second World War. False lights, runways and aircraft diverted Luftwaffe attacks from nearby RAF Mildenhall.
In 1941 hard runways were laid out and the base was expanded before being used RAF flying units on detachment late in 1941.
After becoming fully operational, No. 149 Squadron RAF moved into Lakenheath in April 1942 and remained until mid-1944 when the squadron moved to RAF Methwold.
In April 1947, RAF Bomber Command returned to Lakenheath and had the runways repaired, resurfaced, and readied for operations by May 1948.
In November 1948, with the Cold War now in full swing, operational control of RAF Lakenheath was transferred from the Royal Air Force to USAFE.
The first USAFE host unit at RAF Lakenheath was the 7504th Base Completion Squadron. The squadron was elevated to an Air Base Group in January 1950, and to a Wing in September 1950.
Control of RAF Lakenheath was allocated to Third Air Force at South Ruislip Air Station, which had command of SAC B-29 operations in England.
By 1950, Lakenheath was one of three main operating bases for the U.S. Strategic Air Command in the UK, the others were RAF Marham and RAF Sculthorpe.
A succession of bombardment squadrons and wings, 33 in all, rotated through Lakenheath, the B-29s giving way to the improved B-50 Superfortresses and then, in June 1954, B-47 Stratojets.
Currently, the host wing is the 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW), also known as the Liberty Wing.
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